Hi, I’m Nicky.

Not So Stay At Home Mum

I am sharing our life with you because I want to inspire other families to think outside the square and find what they truly want for their family, and quite simply… to go for it!

One of the reasons that moved us into a caravan was that we were stuck in the rut of a busy life.

A monotonous repetitive hustle that we unintentionally found ourselves in.

We felt we needed to break free of it and live out a dream that began when my husband and I first got married, over 10 years ago.

The other, we were given an opportunity by my parents to borrow their caravan for a year (or 2) to travel Australia.

So naturally we jumped at the opportunity and broke away from the life that was.

As a Mum, I didn’t wear "busyness” as a badge of honour, it just happened.

Between the weekly routines of school prep and drop offs, housekeeping and meal planning, and trying to balance the need to return to work, daily life begun to feel like daily survival.

I know, parents like me are wondering how life got this busy. And, how on earth do we slow down time? Our kids are simply growing way too fast.

All I ever wanted as a Mum was to have a family and enjoy every moment for as long as possible. And for this reason, I tried my best to find ways I can be a SAHM (Stay at Home Mum) without the need to try and balance a WFH (Work from Home) casual job.

As Mums, we do it all because it’s naturally just what we do.

Whether you feel it is right or wrong, we naturally gravitate toward being everything for everyone.

We manage the family social calendars, help with homework and volunteer in our kids’ school, run errands between school drop off and grocery shopping, and balance the budgets by looking for discounts, managing bills, and for many of us, earning a second / or primary income.

It wasn’t easy to pack up our lives and hit the road, quite scary at times during the preparation stage. But it has been nothing short of the best experience of our lives, on so many levels.

I want to share all of this with you. And not just the fun stuff, but the real stuff, the behind-the-scenes stuff, and the how we managed to leave with over $20k in savings stuff.

We have a faith in God the father, Jesus our Lord, and Holy Spirit who we constantly relied upon during all the seasons in our life. And there has been some real hard times over the years.

But it is through this faith we venture into the unknown, excitedly looking forward while seeking opportunities to share our experiences, our learnings, and our faith with as many people as we can.

Over the years, I have tried and tested many different ways to allow me to remain at home for my children. And I found ways that worked for our family, and they may also work for you..

Ways to:

  • Earn an extra income – TAX FREE,

  • Mange meals for a large house hold on a tight budget,

  • Organise the family home, and,

  • Systemise the budget while building a healthy savings account.

Now that we are traveling, ways to:

  • Rent out our home with positive cashflow,

  • Educate our children outside of the normal school system,

  • Plan educational activities that kids love!,

  • Mange meal prep for a large family in a small kitchen (if you can call it that!),

  • Balane the budget on an income fare less than we have ever had before, and

  • Learn to let go of stuff that is literally weighing us down.

So if I can inspire and support you to live life differently through this blog, then I know that all we are doing is not in vain.

Please do connect with me on Facebook and Instagram, subscribe to this blog, and share with me your life as I share mine with you.

Sincerely,

Nicky

Some FAQ’s

  • We love to visit new places, meet new people and have adventures as a family.

    We also want to be present and available for our kids in these precious early years of their life.

    I know living in a caravan isn't very spacious or luxurious, but it is cosy and comfortable, it gives us the gift of being mobile and therefore allows us to see and experience so much of Australia than we could have ever imagined.

  • A lot easier than you would think, we are out and about everyday, visiting all sorts of interesting places.

    Our kids are constantly interacting with loads of different people, of varying ages and cultural backgrounds.

    They are with us 24/7 so are listening to how WE problem solve and we include them in our planning and decision making also.

    Regarding the more formal side of 'schooling', we found an abundance of learning resources online, we use what suits us, which is a more formal English and maths curriculum, and everything else is more than covered on the road.

    I would say it is easier to educate the kids on the road, than at home, because the learning is FUN.

    They don't see it as learning, or 'school' most of the time, because the learning is intertwined in the fun living we are all doing.

  • Not as hard as I thought it would be.

    When we were preparing for the trip I would often have heart palpitations when all the kids would pile in my bedroom and be all crazy, loud and boisterous.

    I would quietly panic inside, as I reminded myself that this will be the size of my whole house soon. and how on earth am I going to cope??

    Thankfully it hasn't been that bad. probably because I have prepared mentally for the worse. haha

    We are only in the caravan for such a short amount of time each day, usually to eat breakfast and dinner, watch some telly, and sleep.

    The rest of the time we are out and about exploring, or simply outside in nature playing, walking, doing school work, enjoying the sunshine etc.

    I do have my ahhhhh moments, but they are the same that I had at home in my big house too.

    It is harder to live in the van but the advantages you get from living in a caravan, far outweigh any disadvantage (in my opinion)

  • Generally speaking no, however sometimes a short stay tour may require you to take your student to school and pick them up afterwards.

    I have always made time to sit down with my students, in the first few days, to help them get their head around Adelaide on google maps and the public transport system we have here.

    you can read more here.

  • In my personal experience, you can have up to 3 students at any one time.

    however it is important to check with a registered home stay provider, because different providers have differing rules around quantities and ages.

  • No, hosting international students is considered to be non-taxable income by the Australian Tax Office.

    However, it is only non-taxable if you host through an international homestay agency. Any private arrangements is considered taxable income by the ATO.

  • getting started is pretty easy.

    You do need to have a working with Children screening completed before you can start.

    And, the homestay team will also conduct an interview with you and check out the home and room the student/s will be staying in.

    It is best to register with a Homestay Provider to ensure you remain tax free with your earnings.

Ask a question.

If your interested in becoming a Host Parent for International Students,

or,

would like to learn more about how we do what we do while traveling with kids?

Please feel free to reach out, and I will do what I can to help.